Dubai: Children who face abuse, physical assault or any sort of crime will no longer need to visit the police station for questioning thanks to a new technology that will be used by Dubai Police who will interrogate the child at home using a rabbit character called Baezel.

The new initiative of Dubai Police includes a smart tablet and a rabbit who will interact with the child in a fun way to extract details of what happened to him/her.

Major Dr Saud Faisal Al Rumaithi, from Dubai Police, said rabbit Baezel is a smart, interactive investigator who will ask questions to children who have experienced abuse, assault or sexual molestation.

“Children will no longer be required to come to the police station to give their testimonies. We will go to the child’s place and give him the tablet to speak with Baezel while we sit with his parents. The rabbit will gain the trust of the child and get information in a comforting manner,” Major Al Rumaithi told Gulf News.

The rabbit can speak Arabic and English and can also read the emotions of the person in front of him and speak in a friendly way.

Major Al Rumaithi said Dubai police do not wish the child to get intimidated in any which way — because of being physically present in a police station and being spoken to by real officers as that might scare the child.

“With this friendly smart character, the child will play with him and tell him what happened, so we can get the information and react,” he added.

“Baezel can ask the child why he is afraid and then if the child replies that a man beat him, for instance, Baezel will ask him where it happened and then talk him through it. ‘Do you mean the tall man’, he will ask so the child could answer. In this way, Baezel will collect as much information as he can to help the police.”

The initiative is based on the use of artificial intelligence (AI). “Baezel can know if the child is not focusing with him and he can wave or speak with the child to get his attention,” Major Al Rumaithi added.

The smart investigator was displayed during the five-day Gitex Technology Week that concluded on Thursday. It will be introduced in police stations later this year.